Rich Dad, Poor Son

"Hi", I responded to a guy who moved next door last week. He always appeared to be out of bed, irrespective of what time of day it was. "Hi, you coming so late?", as he saw me drained of every joule of energy that could possibly leave my body. "Yes, I work hard. You heading somewhere?", the smell of shower gel was strong and expensive. "Why would you work so much? I would never work so much", he said mockingly. "Because I like my work and I want to make it to the top", still hopelessly hunting for door keys in my bag I lived out of. "You want to be on top, with a job? Kidding me. Start your own business. Look at me". "So what do you do?", almost sure that his dad was dripping rich and he was here to make him poor by a few lakhs. "Nothing as of now. Just returned from the Thames University after studying business administration". "Which university?" "Thames, its in...." He had flunked his tenth grade exams, his father couldn't buy him a seat at Delhi University and mother couldn't afford her son to be seen at a college that would not earn her jealous looks at the club. So his parents packed him to an unknown university, no one had ever heard of. No, he didn't tell me this. I knew it. But how familiar the set up is. The father belongs to a humble background. He sweats out to look 50 when he was all of 35. His children never give a fcuk to their career. They think setting shop is in their DNA. They fail all exams,go to unknown colleges overseas, fail there and return. Still confident to make it bigger than their dads. However, when reality bites them they are in their mid-thirties. They are still struggling to come out of their dad's shadow while their wives have certified them as a loser. They have a few failed business ventures to their credit. They take solace in alcohol and just hope they can do half as well as their father. These men do not have loans to pay, they still get pocket money, now for family and friends both, and never really grow out of the wings of their parents. Another area where such foolish old kids never grow, is their false image about themselves. They never cease to believe that they were born to rule the world, farting on the surname. That is all they were born to use. The wealth depletes, their kids do NOT want to be like their dads, so they work hard. And the humble background, hard work, desire to make it big, it all repeats again. "You wanna join us at the Vegas Club? Its on me", the rich kid interrupted my thoughts. "Thanks, but I have an assignment to finish, critical for my next appraisal", I said with the air of confidence. I knew, I will never have as much bank balance as what his dad pays for his petrol and booze, but I will have much more wisdom and contentment. Its the high of making it all by 'yourself' than just making it. Stop dreaming of making it bigger than your dad under his wings. Leave that hand, walk alone, get bruised, get laughed at. Go, make half as him and learn the tricks of trade. The name of trade is humility and gratitude. "Be grateful for what you get, be contend with what you have, and you shall not want more" Joy Gurudev :-) :-)